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The Twins selected Michael Harrington out of the College of Charleston in 2008. He went to Elizabethton and played well. He moved up to Beloit in 2009 and struggled at the start of the season, and yet, he was one of the organization’s leaders in doubles. He should move up to Ft. Myers to start the 2010 season. On a side note, Michael actually returned these responses last week. On Sunday night, I got a message from him asking to change one word in his response to Question #2. He said that I could change the word “girlfriend” to “fiancé.” So a huge congratulations to Michael and his fiancé.

SethSpeaks: Now that you’ve had a few months to look back and reflect, what are your thoughts on your 2009 season?

Michael Harrington: The 2009 season was disappointing, however, I learned a lot and I’m going to take that and use it for this upcoming season.

SethSpeaks: What do you do when you’re not playing baseball or working out in preparation for the upcoming season?

Michael Harrington: My fiancé and I like to spend time with our dogs, a golden retriever and Pomeranian/poodle mix. I also enjoy playing the guitar and piano. I worked at a golf course in the area as a caddy until early December and had a good time out there.

SethSpeaks: When did you start getting ready for the 2010 season, and what was your routine?

Michael Harrington: I started working out pretty much right when I got back. With my work schedule I had to be flexible with getting in the gym, but I got in there as much as I could. Once I quit working in December I was able to focus much more on training and baseball specific things.

SethSpeaks: What are your goals for the 2010 season? Where would you like to play, and are there any statistics that you are looking to improve?

Michael Harrington: A fault of mine last year was consistency, or lack thereof. At times I was able to put things together and do decent; however, I need my performance to be much more consistent. My goal coming out of spring training is to advance a level and start in Ft. Myers.

SethSpeaks: What does spring training mean for you, and what are you looking forward to this year?

Michael Harrington: I think for most of us it’s trying to find a rhythm. When we’re working out in the off season many of us are just facing BP pitchers and don’t get a lot of chances to face live pitching. Early on, especially, we’re working on timing and feeling comfortable again.

SethSpeaks: Who was your favorite player to watch when you were growing up?

Michael Harrington: Being from Iowa, most people rooted for the Cubs, White Sox, Twins, Royals, Cardinals. My family and I were big Twins fans.

SethSpeaks: What were your thoughts around the draft and after being drafted by the Twins?

Michael Harrington: Because of my family and I being Twins fans already, being drafted by them was pretty awesome. I went through the draft and the processes that go into it my junior year, so I kind of knew what to expect my senior year.

SethSpeaks: Best thing of career in baseball?

Michael Harrington:Some of my best friendships have been made from my first couple years of pro ball. We have some great guys in this organization. Another is being paid to play a game that we’ve all been playing since we were little.

SethSpeaks: Toughest thing of career in baseball?

Michael Harrington:It isn’t easy being away from your home/family for half of the year. The living we make right now isn’t too lucrative, but we all have the same dream of one day making it.

SethSpeaks: Funniest story in your minor league career?

Michael Harrington: Last season a couple guys got pranked thinking they got caught with a tobacco product. That whole situation gave us all a good laugh.

SethSpeaks: What would it mean to make your big league debut?

Michael Harrington: It would mean that all my hard work had gotten me to where I wanted to be. It’s what I think about every day when I’m training.

With that, I wish a huge “Thank you” to Michael Harrington for his time and responses to all the questions. If you would like, you can e-mail me, or feel free to leave your comments here.

2 Responses to “Spring Training Q&A: Michael Harrington”

How about asking some questions like: (Some for pitchers and some for hitters) How would you rate/describe your (arm)(power)(speed)(etc)? Is Control a strength or weakness for you? Your K/AB was ___. ARe you satisfied with that or does that concern you? What are your strengths that could get you to the pros? What do you need to work on to develop into a pro? How do you compare yourself other players in the system? What was your best success worst failure from last year? What would it take for you to consider this upcoming season a success?